OCTOBER 2022CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONWhat are smart cities? Cities that are Smart. That would be what my daughter will reply me. But what actually goes into Smart Cities and what do they actually mean. Surbana Jurong (SJ) as a company, carry out designs and enablement of many smart cities in the world. As a service , we incorporate elements of good master planning, social economics planning , information and communications technology (ICT) and other digital and value enhancing approaches to make the city a Smart City. There are several definitions of Smart cities which entails a future proofed city, a future city , a resilient city, a sustainable city and even a digital city. That is correct to an extent, but I would personally define smart cities as: "A City that uses people centric data and big data to drive buildings and master planning designs with the use of digital and technological, incorporating the advancements of sustainability, resiliency, mobility and robotics that supports the live-work-play transformation within the city which results in a healthy economic value and a heighten experience of the quality of life by the city inhabitants."Good designed cities should not only have the balance use of Digital , ICT and different technologies, but also, the balance approach of economic value and growth. Basically, the city is doing well with a balanced social economic ecology system that is self-sustaining and that provides a good quality of live for its inhabits. There are many examples of cities that have great technology advancements, but it will take a person an hour to travel a kilometer from point A to point B. There are also examples whereby cities are doing financially well , but the people staying in the cities are dissatisfied due to living conditions and the widening Gini Index . So what are the different constituents of Smart Cities . I have grouped up the different constituents and considerations into six Main Headers and provided some discussion on each of the headers. A New Live-Work-Play because of DigitalSmart Cities are meant to provide a conducive environment for the population to live, work and play in the city. The city is safe for its inhabitants and uses transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IOT) technologies. Urban living will see the use of sustainable materials , less waste and a transformative approach to how people live, work and play in the literal sense. The new Live-Work-Play will be definitely driven by Digital and all that is Associated with Digital. For instance, Xtended Reality will be used to cater for infotainment or edutainment which means 5G is not only a norm, but special contact lenses and wearables will be tuned into the data networks that push information or has information on demand which will shape the lives of the people in these smart cities. Social DesignSmart Cities does not only mean the use of digital and technology, but a science in the approach of the design and planning of communities. The design of how cultural and the By Eugene Seah, Senior Director, Special Projects Group, CEO's Office, Surbana Jurong GroupSMART CITIES DEMYSTIFIEDEugene Seah
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